


It started with a Bagel [Permanent Haitus]

by Tinadapenguin1



Series: Skepticism [Permanent Hiatus] [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Drinking, F/M, Fluff, Gen, M/M, getting drunk, i mean there's death but, idk im bad at tagging, oh!, that's like the main thing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-07
Updated: 2015-09-18
Packaged: 2018-02-12 04:15:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2095422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tinadapenguin1/pseuds/Tinadapenguin1
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jean was a skeptic, in every sense of the word. If it didn't have a realistic answer, he wouldn't even acknowledge it. Jean has been like this throughout his cognitive life. So he found himself very troubled by the recent occurances that were happening. Missing keys, opened curtains, giggles in the middle of the night and worse still, the ghost of his ex running his bone chilling hands across his back. Yes, Jean Kirstein was a skeptic, but the return of Marco Bott was starting to make him question his own skepticism. But this isn't the best place to start; the best place to begin this story would be seven years ago, when Jean first met the love of his life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The day he met Marco

**Author's Note:**

> This will be my first time making a series fic, so I apologize in advance for the mistakes.

Jean was a skeptic, in every sense of the word. If it didn't have a realistic answer, he wouldn't even acknowledge it. Jean has been like this throughout his cognitive life. So he found himself very troubled by the recent occurrences that were happening. Missing keys, opened curtains, giggles in the middle of the night and worse still, the ghost of his ex running his bone chilling hands across his back. Yes, Jean Kirstein was a skeptic, but the return of Marco Bott was starting to make him question his own skepticism. But this isn't the best place to start; the best place to begin this story would be seven years ago, when Jean first met the love of his life.

Jean was turned twenty- one, and was spending his last year as an undergraduate at Sania University. The past four years had been hard, but well worth it. He had met his closest friend, a mixed boy with a boisterous personality; Connie Springer. The two were assigned as random roommates in their freshman year, however they roomed together every year after the fact and were even planning to get an apartment together once they graduated. There were a lot of things about Connie that made Jean like him, the main one being that Connie wasn't even slightly perturbed by the fact that Jean was gay. He was even understanding when Jean would bring home a guy. Even though he hit it off very well with Connie, Jean's perpetual loner mentality made it practically impossible to keep a friend for more than a year. Even so, he was able to make friends with a gay couple, Reiner and Bertolt. The lack of a large friend circle did little to put a damper on his years as a student. He was able to land a good job in the mall close to the university and he enjoyed his classes as a Psychology major. Jean loved everything about his college life. But his favorite thing was the close vicinity of an Einstein's Bagels. Every Monday and Friday morning, he would run to the bagel place to grab a blueberry bagel with strawberry cream cheese. He had done so since the second semester of his freshman year. He choose Monday as a “pick me up” and chose Friday as a celebratory treat for making it through the week. This Friday was no different. This semester, Jean only had classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Because of this, he didn't have to wake up early or rush to get his bagel. It was ten in the morning, and Jean was waiting patiently in line. He placed his order and stepped away from the front counter.

“Blueberry with strawberry,” a cheerful voice rang out. Jean looked up from his phone and headed toward the counter. He reached out for the bagged breakfast.

“That's me,” Jean said, though he found himself thoroughly surprised. He was surprised by the sound of a voice that wasn't his making the statement. He was also surprised by the hand that had brushed against his own. He looked over to see a freckled male who looked just as surprised him. The male had freckles that dusted over his cheeks and the bridge of his nose. Jean saw the shock in his large brown eyes fade to a softer expression that matched his smile.

“My bad,” the freckled man said, removing his hand from the bagel. “I've never heard anyone order this before so I assumed...” the man trailed off, bashfully rubbing the back of his neck. Jean blinked a few times. The man was handsome, but in a strange almost plain way. And yet... he seemed unique. Jean cleared his throat and tried to return the smile. 

“Nah, it's fine. I thought the same thing,” Jean said as he regained his casual demeanor. Jean picked up the bag and stepped toward the male. He was a little taller that Jean, but he didn't mind.

“So, what's your name?” Jean asked.

“I'm Marco,” the freckled man said extending his hand. Jean took Marco's hand in a firm handshake.

“I'm Jean.” Marco smiled even wider than before.

“Nice to meet you,” Marco said brightly. The cashier's voice rang out, calling the same order as before. Marco grabbed his bagel and made his way back to Jean.

“It's funny, my friend said that buying this was weird,” Marco said.

“Yeah, same here.” Neither moved from their positions, both seeming to awkwardly find a way to continue the conversation.

“So, uhm, what time are your classes?” Jean asked.

“Oh! I got lucky. I have Fridays off.”

“Same here.”

“So... uh... do you want to eat together?” Jean fiddled with the corner edge of the paper that was holding his bagel.

“Sure, where at?” Jean asked after a pause.

“Well, we could eat at that table over there,” Marco said, pointing past Jean. Jean nodded with a smile and headed over to the table with Marco trailing behind him. They sat and talked. They talked about everything and nothing, long after both boys had finished their bagels. They learned about each other, and it surprised Jean. He had never been much of a conversationalist, and he wasn't a very good listener either. And yet, Marco was able to get him to talk in a deep way that normally warranted at least a month of previous conversations. Jean found himself very interested in Marco as well. He liked hearing his quirky tales. Even as he saw that they had been talking for over two hours, he still found no desire to leave. It was Marco who voiced surprise at the amount of time that had passed.

“ Ah jeez, it's already after three,” Marco stated, looking at his phone. Jean felt himself smirking at the look of disappointment that spread on Marco's face.

“Well, you can give me your number. We can talk some more tomorrow. You free?” Jean asked. He pulled his phone out of his pocket to hand over to Marco. The freckled male took the phone with a smile and added his phone number to the contact list.

“Send me a text so I can save your number,” Marco said, handing over Jean's phone. Jean smiled as he looked at the contact. Marco added a smiley face on his contact. Jean typed in a text to send to Marco.

Jean: Hey

Jean smirked at the snort that came from Marco. Jean waited for a response as he saw Marco rapidly move his fingers to text a message. Jean felt his phone vibrate and looked at the message.

Marco:) : Howdy.

Jean couldn't hold back his laughter.

“Seriously? 'Howdy'? Man, you're a dork.”

“Hey, now!” Marco said with a giggle. They texted back and forth sitting across from each other for a little bit longer. After awhile, Jean eventually was the first one to stand.

“Alright, I'm going to go ahead and go. I'll text you later,” Jean said with a smile. Marco nodded and stood up as well.

“Yeah, I'll catch you later,” Marco said. Both males walked in opposite directions, but Jean turned to watch Marco. The freckled male never turned back, but Jean didn't mind. He felt his lips twitch up into a smile. The male was definitely handsome, and was most certainly Jean's type. This was going to be a good year.

Over the next few months, Jean had gotten to know Marco, and had gotten to know him very well. He knew his birthday, favorite color, that he had allergies to pretty much all wildlife, hell, Jean even knew Marco's measurements. The one thing he didn't know, was whether Marco was gay or not. Jean had tried multiple times to subtly get some sort of information out of him. Asking if Marco had a dream guy, purposely adding emphasis on the word “guy”. But Marco either didn't notice, or he was choosing to avoid giving an answer. But Jean wanted to know. He wanted to know if he had a chance at the freckled man. The pair was now sitting on Jean's bed, marathoning the first season of “Orange is the New Black” as per Marco's request. Jean was into the show, though he never felt inclined to watch it until Marco had suggested it. He would cast glances in Marco's direction to see try and catch Marco looking in his direction. Unfortunately, Marco was engrossed with the show and never took his eyes of the laptop the screen. Jean groaned and leaned over on Marco. The freckled male finally took his eyes off of the show to stare wide eyed at Jean.

“H-hey! What's the matter?” Marco asked softly. Jean took note of the fact that Marco didn't even bother to try and shove him away. Jean smiled and leaned in closer against Marco.

“Meh... I get bored with shows pretty easily,” Jean said in a hum. Marco didn't say anything for a little bit, so Jean decided to press on. He nudged against Marco again.

“I'm getting kind of sleepy. Do you want me to take you home?” Jean asked. Jean lived in what was called a “dormment”. It was a dorm room set up like an apartment. He still lived with Connie, but he had his own room, and they had additions like a kitchen and their own study room. Marco, on the other hand, lived in an apartment that was about fifteen minutes away from campus. Marco had taken the university shuttle to get onto campus, so it would have been Jean that was to drive him home. Marco pursed his lips together in thought.

“Well... it is pretty late. I think I've got some clothes that I left a while back is still here. You mind if I just crash here?” Marco asked. Jean smirked at the timid sound of Marco's request.

“Of course, man.” Jean said, finally lifting himself off of Marco. Marco shifted in his spot on the bed so that he could bring his legs up to his chest. 

“Connie won't mind me staying over?”

“Oh did I not tell you? Connie is staying at his girlfriend's place for the weekend,” Jean said. Jean remembered when he first me Connie's main squeeze, Sasha Blouse. The girl was bright and friendly, a perfect match for Connie. Jean was hoping the lack of his dormmate would get Marco to relax. He was going to find out for sure if he had a chance at Marco. Jean normally wasn't this concerned when trying to enter a relationship. In fact, Jean typically never took any sort of initiative. If the guy he liked liked him back, it took the other guy to come and say something. Jean honestly just didn't care enough. But there was something special about Marco. He didn't want this one to get away. Jean pushed himself off of the bed with a grunt and made his way to the dresser. Thankfully, this wasn't the first time that Marco had spent the night at the dormment, so Marco had pajamas that he had forgotten. Jean grabbed the dark blue T- shirt and gray sweatpants to throw to Marco. Jean snorted at the muffled sound of shock from Marco when the garments hit him in the face. Jean searched through the dressers to get a tank top and boxer shorts to bed. By the time Jean made it back to the bed, Marco had already changed clothes. Only slightly disappointed, Jean did the same. Both boys sat quietly on the bed until Marco let out a huff.

“I''m not tired,” he groaned. Jean snickered.

“Wanna play some Left for dead?”

“Hell yes.” The two stood up and headed to the small living room area. Connie and Jean had put their money together to but a fifty inch HD TV. This is where they played video games and watched movies, and was where Jean was currently hooking up the xbox.

“One or two?” Jean asked, peering over his shoulder at Marco.

“Uhm... two! I've got beef with the Chargers.” Jean rolled his eyes with a smile and put the selected game into the console. Marco was sitting cross legged on the futon, but had left enough room for Jean to plop down beside him. Jean always loved playing this game with Marco. The duo would barrel through the common infected zombies without a problem, It wasn't until the special infected made the appearance that the game got interesting. Jean had to get the character that he controlled to go running after Marco's as he was dragged away by the Smoker. To add insult to injury, the Tank ( a giant zombie that looked like a fleshy gorilla) appeared right in front of Marco. Jean took off with a loud laugh, only to have karma bite him in the ass when he toppled over the witch. Both were simultaneously taken out, thus losing the round. They tried again and made it all the way to the final round before Marco let out a long, and painfully adorable, yawn.

“I thought you said you weren't sleepy,” Jean said. He was trying to suppress his own signs of tiredness.

“Guess that last round took all the energy out of me. Oh, and I guess it being three and all has something to do with it.” Jean stretched, standing up to get the numbness out of his legs.

“I guess I can sleep on the futon,” Marco murmured, more to himself.

“What? Sleeping with another man make you nervous?” Jean asked slyly, which was a sharp contrast to the mantra of “Please say no” that ran through his head. Marco blushed and looked away.

“Well... no it doesn't... but-”

“Then stay in bed with me. It's a queen size, so there's space.”

“It's just... I don't want to make you uncomfortable,” Marco said meekly.

“Unless you kick in your sleep, I'll be just fine.”

“It's not that, I-”

“You a drooler?”

“Ew, no! Well, sometimes but that's not it.”

“You snore?”

“No.”

“Then what-”

“I'm gay!” Jean was effectively silenced. Marco's face was beet red.

“What?” Jean asked dumbly. Marco looked completely flustered as he put his head in his hands.

“Damn it, Jean! I didn't want to tell you!” Marco didn't remove his hands from his face. Jean's dumbfounded look melted into a goofy smile.

“Oh my god! That is literally the best news I've gotten all week!”

“'Huh?”

“I've been trying to find out if I had a chance at you and-”

“Wait, what?” Marco was now staring at Jean. Said male smirked.

“I'm saying that I like you.” Jean said, not even batting an eyelash at the confession. Marco opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, closed it with a pause and then repeated the process.

“Don't you think it's too early for this?” Marco asked.

“Too early in our friendship? Well, not really.”

“Well, I meant to early in the morning. It's like, three in the morning. I can't process this right now,” Marco said, rubbing his face tiredly. Jean smirked and walked toward his room. 

“Well, we've got all weekend to figure this out. So come on to bed,” Jean said, not bothering to wait for a response. Marco treaded in after him and crawled into the bed while Jean turned off the light. They were laying with their backs to each other, though Jean was sure the he would “accidentally” roll over so that his arm would drape over Marco. The freckled male was already asleep, which Jean found rather funny since this would never have given Jean any hint into the male's sexuality. Jean couldn't hold back the smile plastered on his face as he rolled over. Marco grunted quietly at the added weight of Jean's arm, but didn't react further.

“This is perfect.”


	2. His days

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I take forever updating, and it's not even that long OTL The good stuff will be coming soon! (ish)

Jean was the first to wake up the next morning. Marco was still fast asleep. He had also managed to roll over and was facing Jean. He smirked at the freckled male. Marco was resting his head on Jean's arm. Jean tried to tug his arm from under Marco's head without waking him up, but his efforts were to no avail. Marco shifted, and Jean could see his eyelashes flutter as he blinked the sleep away.

“Mhm,” Marco grunted, clearly still tired. 

“C'mon, Marco, I've got to make breakfast for us,” Jean said with a smile. Marco's eyelashes fluttered as he blinked in confusion. When realization hit him, he jolted up.

“I'm sorry!' he shouted. Jean let out a laugh as he got out of bed.

“Cool it, Freckles. C'mon, in the kitchen. I'm making pancakes,” Jean said. The freckled male still had a deep blush on his face, but he got out of the bed as well. Jean bit back a laugh when Marco nearly toppled out of the bed. His legs had some how gotten tangled up in the blankets that Jean had on his bed. He waited at the door frame for Marco to regain his composure and walk up behind him. Once they got in the kitchen, Jean opened up the internet on his phone and searched for a recipe. Marco came in behind him and peered over his shoulder to look at his phone.

“My grandma has a really good recipe. I'm pretty sure I still remember it,” Marco said. Jean closed his phone and let Marco work his way around the small kitchen. They got the ingredients together and began to make their breakfast. After a brief and messy flour fight, the two males sat down on the living room floor to eat their pancakes.

“Marco, this is so fucking good!”

“I know right,” Marco said with a smile. “My grammy's a genius in the kitchen.” Jean sat his empty plate down and laid down on his stomach.

“Oh, no, no, no. Don't get comfy, Jean. We've got a mess to clean up,” Marco said. He set his dishes on the coffee table and stood up.

“You should do it,” Jean said. “You started it.”

“I'm your guest, so I shouldn't have to clean anything. Besides, you started it when you threw flour in my face,” Marco said as he picked up his dishes and headed back to the kitchen. Jean groaned, but sat up and followed Marco. They finished fairly quickly, getting the job done in a little over an hour since Marco insisted on doing the dishes as well. They sat on the couch and Jean stretched his arms out so that the tips of his fingers just barely brushed up against Marco's shoulder.

“So, uhm... I guess I should apologize for kinda making you come out last night,” Jean said. Marco shifted and looked over at Jean.

“It's fine... you didn't actually make me but,” Marco paused and fiddled with his fingers. Jean put his hand on Marco shoulder. Marco smiled. “But I'm glad I did.” Jean rubbed his shoulder and pulled Marco close to him.

“So,” Jean started. “Does this mean that we're a thing now?” Jean asked. Marco smiled and leaned in closer to Jean.

“Yes, yes it does.”

“That went much easier than I thought it would.”

“You callin' me easy?” Marco asked. His eyebrow was quirked up as he looked over at Jean. Said male laughed and waved him away.

“No, no, never that,” Jean said. Marco smirked and leaned in closer. The two of them sat quietly for awhile before Jean heard soft snores. He looked down to see that Marco had fallen asleep on his chest. Jean moved over so that he was right on the end of the futon and gently laid Marco down so that he could lay out. Jean gently laid Marco down so that his head would rest on his lap. Jean smiled and ran his hand through Marco's hair. Jean could get used to this.

After that night, the two were practically inseparable. They typically spent anytime they had at one of their houses' most of the time that would mean at Jean's place. They loved their time together, and planned to spend the upcoming winter break together as well. Jean was spending one of the few times away from Marco, who was at work. He was sitting in Reiner's living room. Bertolt was laying on the couch, and Reiner was in the kitchen cooking. Bertolt shifted so that he could face Jean.

“So, you and Marco...” he started. Jean smirked.

“Yeah?”

“You fucked yet?” Reiner called from the kitchen. Bertolt shook his head, but smiled.

“How are things going between you two?” Bertolt asked. Jean knew that he had known Marco, but he didn't know that until a week or so after they started dating. It turned out that Bertolt and Marco worked at the same diner, and were actually pretty good friends.

“Yeah, it's going great. I really like the guy... I really do,” Jean said. Reiner came in from the kitchen and sat near Bertolt. 

“That's precious, we should totally double date,” Reiner said. Jean let him know that he would think about it, and the three of them spent the rest of the night laughing over dinner and a Netflix marathon. Jean ended up crashing at their place. He headed home that morning to see Marco already in his living room, with several books and papers stacked around him. He closed the door and removed his shoes. Marco looked over at him with a bright smile.

“Hey Jean! Connie let me in before he went with Sasha,” he said. He set down his pen and paper and got up to greet Jean. He smiled and kissed Marco's cheek.

“That's good. Do you have a final soon?” Jean asked.

“Yeah, one of my professor's thought having an exam on the first day of exams at eight in the morning was a good idea,” Marco said. Jean smirked and planted another kiss on his cheek.

“It'll be fine, you're smart,” he said. Marco gave a little laugh before heading back to the stack of books. Jean sat on the futon on the edge near Marco's study space. Jean sat patiently for an hour or so before boredom overcame him. He was sprawled out on the futon, watching Marco study. Marco was sitting crossed- legged on the floor and was hunched over his papers. Jean could see tan freckled skin just barely peeking out as his shirt lifted up. Jean smirked as he pressed his foot against the lower part of Marco's back and slid his foot up. Marco gasped and jerked forward.

“Geez, Jean!” Marco exclaimed. Jean laughed and pushed his foot against Marco again. Marco let out a laugh as he jerked away gain, knocking over some of the books in the process. Jean smirked and slid off the futon to get closer to Marco.

“What's the matter? Is this distracting,” he asked as he replaced his foot with his hand as he slid it up Marco's shirt. Marco rolled away n an attempt to get Jean to stop.

“No for real, I need to study, Marco said in a huff. Jean scooted closer to Marco.

“Aw, come on,” he whined. “Take a break. You've been at this for a while. Just watch one movie with me.” Marco pursed his lips together before letting a smile tug at his mouth.

“Ok, but if I fail my exam, you're dead,” Marco said, closing the book. He crawled over to the futon and sat in front of Jean.

“So... what?” he asked with a smile. 

“Nothing, I just want you all to myself,” Jean said with a smirk.

“Come on now, really?” Marco said as he climbed onto the futon. Jean snaked his arm around Marco and suggested that the two watch TV. Marco conceded, but wasn't even an hour later and Marco was back on the floor, engrossed in his books. Jean would groan loudly to get his attention, but after a bit, Marco was able to completely tune him out. Jean flipped through the channels trying to let his boyfriend study in peace. After what felt like hours, Marco heaved a loud sigh before closing his book. He turned to Jean with a smile.

“I think I've got this,” he said with a grin. Jean pat the seat on the futon to beckon Marco over.

“So, how are we doing this thing for Christmas break?” Jean asked. Marco pursed his lips together in thought.

“My mom would through a fit if I'm not there on Christmas day. Maybe we could spend the first half of our break with my family, then we can head to your family after Christmas.” he said.

“Good, I'm looking forward to seeing some cute baby pictures.”

“Not happening.”


	3. Chapter 3

Jean had his last final a few days before Marco’s. He knew that there was no chance of getting Marco to take a break. Instead, he decided to head back to his dormment and start packing. He trudged through the campus with his head down and his hoodie pulled over his head to try and combat the bitter cold. When he reached his home he could hear that Sasha was over. He could hear her whining from the other side of the door. Jean unlocked the door and waited by the frame. Connie was standing on the edge of the futon. He held a pizza box over his head, laughing. Sasha was laying on the couch, her arms stretched up trying, to no avail, to get the box.

 

“What are you doing?” Jean asked. He removed his hoodie, throwing it over the entry table. Connie looked over at him with a smile. He hoped over the futon and ran over to Jean. He handed him the box and hid behind Jean.

 

“Bet you won’t hit him,” Connie called from over Jean’s shoulder. Sasha popped up from her position and ran over to Jena. She stopped and raised one leg and both her arms.

 

“Hand over that pizza, Kirstein,” Sasha said her voice a playful hiss. Jean rolled his eyes and walked past her setting the pizza on the dining room table.

 

“Where’s your boyfriend?” Connie asked.

 

“Studying. I figured he’d want to be left alone,” Jean said. He plopped down on the futon.

 

“Aw! Cute,” Sasha said. She was barely audible since she was also stuffing pizza in her mouth.

 

“What’s cute about that?” Jean asked. He walked over to the futon and flopped down on the futon and stretched his legs out.

 

“Well,” she started. She paused to wipe her face. “You’re normally not that thoughtful.” The statement was flat and honest. Jean knew she was right.

 

“Not that you’re a dick or anything,” she added quickly.

 

“Yeah,” Connie chimed in. He walked over to the futon and pushed Jean’s legs out of the way before flopping down. “You’re actually pretty cool once we got to know you.” Jean rolled his eyes, but couldn’t contain his smile.

 

“Are you getting all sentimental since it’s almost Christmas?” Jean asked. Connie smirked and shoved Jean’s arm. Sasha slid in beside Connie.

 

“Unpause the movie!” she shouted. It was then that Jean noticed the screen. It was the old time, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer movie. It was the one with the memorable stop- motion animation style. Jean looked over at the couple.

 

“Really? It’s only December seventh,” he said.

 

“You shut your mouth,” Sasha said. “This classic can be enjoyed anytime of the year.” Connie simply shrugged. A few minutes later Jean felt his phone buzz. He could see from his lockscreen that it was a text from Marco. He swiped his thumb across the screen to unlock his phone, sending him straight to his messages.

 

**Marco** **J: Hey! Just found out I’m exempt from my last two exams** **J**

 

Jean looked at the message and smiled. That meant that he and Marco could spend the last few days on campus together without any interruptions. He glanced over at Sasha and Connie, trying to conceal his wide smile. He looked back at his phone and typed a respone.

 

**Jean: thts great! come over to my place**

Jean looked over the message exchange several times in his head. His response sounded tactless, like a bootycall. He frowned and typed up an addition to his text.

 

**Jean: we’re watchin xmas movies**

 

Jean waited Marco’s reply. He hadn’t realized that he had been staring so intently at his phone until he heard Sasha snort. He looked over to see the two of him grinning at him.

 

“What?” he asked after a few more seconds of silence.

 

“You textin bae?” Sasha asked. Jean could feel his cheeks heat up. He looked away and back at his phone.

 

“You sextin’ bae?” Connie asked. Jean knew his face was red.

 

“Oh my God, no!” Jean exclaimed. “Just focus on the fucking reindeer and leave me alone,” Jean said in a huff. He winced when the two yelled out an “aw”. He couldn’t keep his frown set on his face when he saw Marco’s reply.

 

**Marco** **J: Sure! I’d love to. Just give me 30 min.**

 

Jean smiled and typed a quick response. He locked his phone again and focused on the movie. As much as he would pick on Sasha for her enthusiasm in the movie, he himself made a point to watch this particular movie every Christmas.

 

Marco made it to their house in a little under thirty minutes. Jean had made sure to unlock the door so Marco could simply walk in. All three of the occupants on the couch turned at the sound of the door clicking open. Jean felt his lips tug into a smile. Marco’s nose was a little red from the cold. Jean moved over, giving Marco a space b y the arm rest. He slid into the seat with a smile.

 

“How’s it going, guys?” Marco asked, removing his jacket while in the seat.

 

“Watching the best movie ever,” Sasha said through a mouth full of another slice of pizza. Connie reached over her and took the last slice.

 

“Oh hey, thanks for sharing,” Jean said. Sasha waved her hand at him.

 

“We’re gonna order more, duh,” she said. She looked past Jean and focused on Marco. “Jean said you had exams to study for. You taking a break?” she asked.

 

“I’m exempt from them. I honestly was shocked when I got the email,” he said with a smile. Connie reached over to pat Marco on the back, shouting out “nice” as he slapped his back a few times. The freckled male laughed, and thanked him. Jean smiled and leaned into the futon. He was by no means a sap, but he could feel the warmth that seemed to spread in his stomach. He chest fluttered and he knew he was happy. He closed his eyes and smiled, vaguely listening to the mixture of the sounds from the movie and his friends around him lively chatting.

 

***

 

Jean laid on his bed. It must have been early in the morning since is room was still bathed in darkness. He looked over. He couldn’t see Marco, but he could hear his light breathing and an occasional grunt. He placed his hand over Marco’s. The other male shifted but stayed asleep. Jean smiled. It was the night before winter break. Marco had let him know that his family would love to meet him, but wanted Marco to spend Christmas with them. Jean didn’t care either way. As long as he could spend any time with Marco, he was happy. Jean rolled on his side so that he could face Marco. He leaned forward, inching closer the male. He paused when he heard a small giggle.

 

“Shouldn’t you be asleep?” Marco’s voice was groggy, most likely because he had just woken up.

 

“Heh… didn’t mean to wake you,” Jean said. He could feel Marco moving under the covers, pushing closer to him.

 

“What’re you up thinkin’ about?” Marco asked. Jean had to stop himself from laughing at the slur in his voice.

 

“You, mostly,” Jean said. He slipped his arm over Marco’s waist. He heard Marco let out a small airy laugh. He rubbed his thumb against the male’s bare skin in soothing circle. He did so absent- mindedly until he heard Marco’s breathing even out, indicating that he had fallen asleep again. Jean grinned and kissed his cheek. He laid his head on the pillow near Marco. After a few content moments, Jean was asleep.

 

***

 

Winter break had gone by without a hitch. Jean’s time with his family felt more pleasant than it used to. His dead was able to be home for the majority of break, even on Christmas day. Jean never faulted his dad for his time away. He knew his dad worked hard to make sure his family never had to struggle. He tried his hardest to avoid being an absent father, and Jean took notice of it. He appreciated his dad, and his mom for that matter. But on occasion, especially during his teenage years, his more cynical side would take over, making holidays feel like a hassle. But this year was pleasant. His older sister was also able to join them. She was five years older than Jean, and was working at a successful law firm. Though he’d seldom tell her, he was extremely proud of her. They all laughed and enjoyed their time together. He was able to FaceTime Marco, and proudly show him off to his sister. Jean was able to see Marco’s family, which consisted of his dad; a burly man who looked like a hairier version of Marco, his mom; a woman with long wavy hair and his younger brother; a young boy who couldn’t have been more than four years old. They were able to visit each others’ houses and exchange gifts. Jean felt like he was near Marco the entire time. They would call and text each other pretty much every day. Even on the car ride back to campus, the pair stayed on the phone.

 

The rest of the semester went by even faster. It was almost as if Jean would blink and he would be finished with a test or some major project. Before he knew it, he was making the final edited to his twenty page paper that was required in his capstone class. Jean and Marco’s graduations were a day a part. That made it much easier for them to see each other walk. Both of their families had come down to see the pair. The Bodt family acted as if Jean had been a part of the family all along. The younger brother, who Jean learned was Miles, insisted in sitting on his lap during Marco’s graduation. After Marco’s graduation, Jean walked up to Marco. Their families chatted in the audience, either trying to give the pair space or were simply waiting for the crowd to die down. They walked down the halls of the auditorium, taking the stairs to avoid the crowds. They walked in silence before Marco cleared his throat and glanced at Jean.

 

“So… my roommate is moving out in a week,” he said. His voice was hesitant. Jean quirked an eyebrow.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“And… I’m not sure I want to take on the lease by myself,” he continued. There was a pause between them. Jean wasn’t sure what he was getting at. “Well... I wanted to see if you uhm…” Marco stopped in his tracks and faced Jean.

 

“Do you want to live with me?” Marco cheeks were considerably red, even his ear had taken on a pinkish hue. Jean stared for a moment. There were so many ways that he wanted to say yes. He stepped up closer to Marco, closing the gap between the two of them. H gripped Marco’s waist and pulled him in for a kiss. He took a few more steps, pushing Marco back against the wall of the hallway. He pressed his lips harder against Marco’s, the male responding by bringing his hands up to cup Jean’s face. The two kissed for what was probably a few minutes before pulling away. Marco smiled, slightly breathless.

 

“So I’m guessing that’s a yes,” he said. Jean smirked.

 

“Hell yes.”

**Author's Note:**

> Abrassive Jean is hard to write! I was trying to push for the JeanMarco without being... aggressive about it, but I think I failed ^^


End file.
